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Will it take open source to unlock OSS potential?

I have this sense that the other OSS, open source software, holds the key to the next wave of OSS (Operational Support Systems) innovation.

Why? Well, as yesterday’s post indicated (through Nic Brisbourne), “it’s hard to do big things in a small way.” I’d like to put a slight twist on that concept by saying, “it’s hard to do big things in a fragmented way.” [OSS is short for fragmented after all]

The skilled resources in OSS are so widely spread across many organisations (doing a lot of duplicated work) that we can’t reach a critical mass of innovation. Open source projects like ONAP represent a possible path to critical mass through sharing and augmentating code. They provide the foundation upon which bigger things can be built. If we don’t uplift the foundations across the whole industry quickly, we risk losing relevance (just ask our customers for their gripes list!).

But you may ask how organisations can protect their trade secrets whilst embracing open source innovation. Derek Sivers provides a fascinating story and line of thinking in “Why my code and ideas are public.” I really recommend having a read about Valerie.